


Lies

by iduna



Series: Whose Stupid Idea Was This, Anyway? [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Beginnings, Conversations, What did I agree to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 05:53:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13827879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iduna/pseuds/iduna
Summary: Falling out of a hole in the sky does not mean Carys is qualified to be the Herald of Andraste. Nor is it a reason to think she can save the world. That's a hill she's willing to die upon.





	Lies

**Author's Note:**

> Under great persuasion, I offer another segment of Carys' adventure. Many thanks to my beta, IncreasingLight, who does a yeoman's job of keeping my tenses correct, my semi-colons under control, and generally making this readable. Any mistakes contained herein are because I did not see fit to follow her most excellent advice.
> 
> BioWare owns the entire yard. I just plant a few flowers here and there.

“You lied to me.” Cassandra accused. Only moments before, she was staring down Chancellor Roderick, making him flee the room in horror. Carys had watched as his comfortable little nest was destroyed by the Right and Left Hands of the Divine. It was fascinating because she wasn’t the one it was happening to. 

Her luck changed very suddenly.

“I’m sorry, Seeker. You’ll have to be more specific than that.” Carys looked Seeker Pentaghast in the eyes. Twenty years of facing angry Templars had it’s uses, after all. The mage knew how to not look intimidated. 

“Have you lied to me so much that you can’t keep track of them all?” 

For a moment, Carys wanted to laugh. The absurdity of the situation she found herself in wasn’t lost on her. As she walked to the Chantry, she heard the crowd speaking of her in hushed tones. The whispering was almost reverent in tone. They thought she saved them, or some nonsense, and not even an hour later, a Seeker of Truth was looming above her, accusing her of lying. 

Carys considered her next words very carefully. “I don’t recall lying at all, truth be told. Three days ago, I woke in chains. I was taken to a hole in the sky and almost died trying to close it. I woke this morning to an elf bowing down to me, asking for forgiveness, and telling me that you wanted to see me at once. 

“On the way here, people were whispering and pointing, using the name Andraste a lot. Before opening the door, that cleric was yelling about sending me to Val Royeaux, and you defended me as if I’m a hero. Now, I’m accused of lying.

“My request for specificity is not because I cannot keep lies straight, Seeker. It’s because my entire day has been confusing, and your request isn’t clear.”

Cassandra shorted through her nose and took a breath. Leliana stepped forward, put her hand on the other woman’s arm and spoke. “I can understand your confusion. We are only slightly better off than you are, it seems. What is your name? You told Cassandra that your name is Mara, but we have been unable to find anyone by that name on the list of attendees. You can comprehend our discomfort now, yes?”

With that question, Carys grasped the problem. “I didn’t lie, Sister. Seeker, you asked what you should call me, and I answered. When I was taken to the Circle, the Knight Commander insisted upon calling me Mara. In my defense, you didn’t ask my name. Had you, I would have said that my name is Carys Trevelyan. I am, well, was, a Junior Enchanter from the Circle of Magi in Ostwick. I studied healing and alchemy. I was asked by Senior Enchanter Tethys to accompany him to the Conclave. I am sorry for the confusion. It wasn’t my intention to deceive anyone.”

Leliana smiled, and Carys assumed it was meant to be benign and friendly. She didn’t consider it so; she trusted none of them to be what they seemed, but she blandly smiled back. They wanted something from her, probably her help in fixing Thedas, and it wasn’t going to help to stoke antagonism at this point. 

“You see Cassandra,” Leliana cooed, eyes sharp beneath the hood. “I told you that it was likely a misunderstanding. No need for anger.” There was a small chuckle before she continued. “We need to stop letting you ask the questions, though. You don’t seem to have the knack of asking the right ones.

“We had a deal, didn’t we? You hit things, I ask questions.” Looking at the mage, Leliana smiled. “We get in all sorts of trouble when we don’t follow the plan, you see. As you can tell, we are in some disarray at the moment. The breach, the Divine’s death, they weren’t what we were prepared for. Now, we’ve declared the Inquisition reborn, and Plan B is in effect.

“Unfortunately, with the loss of Justinia, our authority is in question. We are at a loss, and improvising.”

As she looked from Seeker to Sister, and back again, Carys considered her options. The first was to wait for them to tell her what they wanted from her and agree. Not agreeing wasn’t an option. They were Chantry and she was a mage. The Chantry always just took what they wanted, and this was going to be no different. It may be framed as a request, but it was poorly disguised. She was going to help, the comfort in which she did it was the only variable. 

She could, however, offer her help first. That was probably the better choice. Offering would likely gain her a larger cage, and more privileges, both would be to her advantage. She didn’t relish the idea of a cell, or more manacles, and in all honesty, she was willing to help. If the world ended, it would go badly for her as well. 

“I am assuming,” Carys started, “that the reason I’m here is because you want my help. If you didn’t, I would likely be in a cell, surrounded by Templars. I’m not certain what your goal is, but you need me to accomplish it. Is that correct?”

A sigh of relief escaped Cassandra’s lips. Directness was familiar, and welcome to her. She was neither a diplomat, nor well versed in subtlety. A woman willing to get to the point was a woman she could deal with.

“Indeed,” Cassandra replied. “The breach is closed for now, or so Solas tells us, but not sealed. As I understand it, you alone didn’t have enough power to do more. Your efforts helped us, however, and I am glad you recovered. 

“Our mission is to stop the war, end the chaos, seal the breach, find the Divine’s murderer, and restore order. To do that we need your help. Only you can seal the breach and mend the rifts in the veil.”

After a pause, Leliana continued. “Everyone in the Temple saw you risk your life to seal the breach. Stories are already being told of your willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. Our chief diplomat believes that you can not only assist with the more practical parts, but that you could be effective as an ambassador of good will and morale. 

“It is your choice, of course. We won’t force you to stay. We believe in your innocence, but many, like Chancellor Roderick, do not. If you join us, we can provide protection from those who think you guilty of the explosion.”

There it was… the carrot and the stick. Help, protection and relative freedom if she stays, being hunted and killed if she leaves. Damned if these Chantry types weren’t fucking predictable. It made life easier having it laid out on the table like that. Knowing the rules made the choice easier. 

“So,” Carys said. “You want to stop the fighting?”

Leliana smiled. She liked it when things went as predicted. “That’s the plan.” 

“Then I’ll help you, gladly. The chaos benefits no one.”

“Good.” Cassandra approached Carys, her hand extended. “Welcome to the Inquisition. I think it’s time you meet the others. We have plans to make.”

As they shook hands, a loud noise was heard from the vicinity of Carys’ stomach. 

Cassandra smiled, and her face looked friendly for the first time. “I think that before we do anything else, something to eat would be in order. I’ll take you to the tavern.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, leave a kudo or note. Play nice, or I send you out the airlock. I'm not in this for the abuse.


End file.
